The Acupuncture Artists who Slay the Science of Chinese Medicine

A few weeks ago I posted an article entitled “Is Acupuncture a Dead Science.” The response to it has been emotionally charged, energetic, controversial, and in some cases full of what I can only describe as liver fire and liver yang rising. The article was written to question some of the attitudes that are present in our profession in regards to our precious traditional theories, practices, and current belief systems about this wonderful medicine. Though I strongly believe in the efficacy of acupuncture for many conditions, I am disappointed in many things that I see in our profession. As a starting point for this article I would like to comment on one of the most common responses from the previous article that I wrote. To generalize, a common response to the article was something along the lines of, “acupuncture is not a science, it is an art….blah blah blah.” For those that made comments like this I want to first acknowledge that there is an art to the medical profession and acupuncture, and it is the art of it that is extremely important for integrating all the skills necessary to be an effective therapist. However, to disregard acupuncture as a science only poignantly demonstrates the point I was making in the article ‘Is Acupuncture a Dead Science.’ In this regard, I do have to conclude that acupuncture is a dead science, if and when therapists are unable to appreciate the need for bringing science to the art of practicing medicine. (What’s that sound Homer Simpson makes?) It seems that those that responded so strongly and aggressively to acupuncture being labeled as a science, fail to understand what a science is, and how a scientific attitude was, and is, an essential part of the development and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. In other words, a scientific attitude was essential to the development of acupuncture thousands of years ago, and continues to be necessary if we are to continue as competent acupuncturists today. For those that fail to understand this I offer two things. 1. A brief description of science and art 2. A plea to drop your biases about the word science being used as an adjective to describe a fundamental aspect of Chinese medicine First of all when we talk about acupuncture being an art or science, we need to be clear about what this means. When we use the word art to describe our profession, I will go with a standard dictionary definition to define art as, ‘a skilful and creative application of a specific thing, which is acquired through practice.’ So yes, acupuncture is an art. However, given the reactive responses I received from my previous article, I can imagine that some of the acupuncture artists out there have carefully crafted various exalted identities and decorated themselves behind the beautiful poetry and imagery of what it means to be a Chinese medicine doctor. As artists, as opposed to scientists, what are you doing as acupuncture art therapists? Are you painting your clients in Van Gogh style color hues of how great Chinese medicine is? Or are you practicing the con-arts of leading them to believe that you can treat them for conditions that Chinese medicine simply does not work for? Please excuse the sharp words but I am extremely disappointed in the ways in which schools, educators and therapists continue to unconsciously propagate the belief that Chinese medicine and acupuncture can treat more than it actually can. At the same time I am grateful to this beautiful medicine for the way that it touches so many peoples lives. Now for those that are not clear on what science is, I will keep this simple and brief. I hope this isn’t too much for the artists in the crowd, if it is I suggest you paint the character for shen/spirit on your client’s foreheads and call the treatment good. Now back to the dreaded basics of science. First, and common to all scientific methods, is an observation being made about something that is happening in nature. (Without a keen sense of observation the ancient Chinese would have never been able to formulate their medical theories.) Second, after an observation is made, a hypothesis is generated, and this is a proposed explanation of that which was observed. (An arrow gets shot in ST 36 and Heng Wei Lou’s stomach pain is cured.) The third part of the scientific method is that an experiment is conducted to see if the hypothesis holds true. (Someone sticks a big stone needle in ST 36 and finds that doing this does in fact alleviate his wife’s stomach pain. Ahah, just wait until she gets PMS!) After the experiment of sticking stones, bones, and needles in ST 36 has been successfully repeated over hundreds of years, theories are developed that explain why acupuncture works. (Without successful repeatability a theory and science cannot be developed. Without repeatability how can we trust that acupuncture points will do what their supposed to do?) From the above we can easily conclude that Chinese medicine is in fact a science, and only becomes an art when it has been skillfully practiced, and do I dare say mastered. Therefore, as artists, and therefore skilled therapists, I would like to know how you can react so strongly and claim that acupuncture is not a science. If it were not a science there could be no theory to explain why Chinese medicine repeatedly works for certain conditions. If we could not repeat our success, there is no way that we could call ourselves artists, or even therapists. So to all of you who so strongly reacted to acupuncture being called a science, and insisted that it is an art, I thank you for clearly answering my question, “Is acupuncture a dead science?” You have proven my point that in many cases it is, and that is because you fail to see the value and necessity of recognizing and understanding Chinese medicine as a science. (How does this lack of awareness translate into patient care in the treatment room?) Now as scientists and artists how can we apply our knowledge, abilities, and creativity to developing and improving this beautiful medicine? I have a few ideas. Do you? In Light, James Spears Author of Meridian Circuit Systems: A Channel Based Approach to Pattern Identification P.S. If your having an emotional reaction to this, lighten up, breath deep, and recognize that you are not in essence your thoughts or emotions. You are, in fact, the Light of Spirit shining through Pure Consciousness. So Ham. Namaste.